Manihari is situated on the banks of the Ganga and is known for its river port and ferry services connecting it to Sahebganj in Jharkhand. The terrain is flat and fertile, shaped by the Ganga and Mahananda rivers. However, the area is vulnerable to seasonal flooding and erosion.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy, with paddy, maize, and jute being the primary crops. Fishing and river-based trade contribute to livelihoods, especially in Manihari town. There are no large industries in the area, but small businesses and remittances from migrant workers supplement local incomes.
Manihari is connected by both road and rail. The Manihari railway station links it to Katihar Junction and further to north Bengal and Assam. The Katihar–Manihari Road is the main arterial route. The constituency is located approximately 35 km southeast of Katihar, 290 km from Patna, and around 160 km from Siliguri.
Nearby towns include Katihar (35 km), Kursela (40 km), Sahebganj (via ferry), and Purnia (70 km).
Manihari, perched on the banks of the Ganga, has long served as a centre for both trade and religious activity. Before the Farakka rail bridge came up, its river port connected the region to north Bengal and Assam via ferry, with Manihari Ghat bustling during Magh Purnima and Chhath. British surveyor Francis Buchanan noted in 1811 that nearly four lakh pilgrims gathered here during the annual fair. The town houses the Gauri Shankar temple, the 19th-century Haj Ghar Shahi mosque, and the Santmat Satsang Kuti, where Maharshi Mehi is believed to have meditated for years.
The constituency was created in 1951 and has witnessed 17 assembly elections so far. The Congress party has won seven times, while various socialist parties have taken the seat on 10 occasions. Socialist leader Yuvraj won four times in a row – three for the Praja Socialist Party and once for the Samyukta Socialist Party. Janata Dal (United) has won thrice, Janata Party twice, and Janata Dal once.
It was a general category seat until the 2008 delimitation, when it was reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates, making it one of only two such seats in Bihar, along with Katoria in Banka district.
Since the seat was reserved, only one man has represented it, Manohar Prasad Singh. He won in 2010 on a JD(U) ticket, defeating his rival by 4,165 votes. When JD(U) joined the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and the seat went to the Congress in the alliance’s seat-sharing arrangement, Singh switched parties and contested the 2015 election as a Congress nominee. He won by 13,680 votes and retained the seat in 2020 with an increased margin of 21,209 votes.
The constituency has a sizeable Scheduled Tribe population, primarily from the Santhal and Oraon communities. Muslims form the largest voting bloc. In 2020, there were 287,266 registered voters in Manihari. Of these, 37,258 (12.97 percent) were Scheduled Tribe, 20,970 (7.30 percent) Scheduled Caste, and 111,746 (38.90 percent) Muslims. The constituency is overwhelmingly rural, with only 6.01 percent of urban voters.
Voter turnout has typically ranged between 60 and 65 percent, with booths in tribal-dominated areas often reporting higher participation.
Manihari continues to face issues such as river erosion, poor road links, limited healthcare, and low literacy levels, particularly among tribal women. Seasonal floods disrupt life and farming nearly every year.
Even so, there have been visible improvements in rural electrification, school enrolment, and panchayat-level infrastructure through various government schemes.
The Congress appears comfortably placed in Manihari in the upcoming elections. The party’s victories in 2015 and 2020 were followed by the Congress party’s Katihar Lok Sabha candidate Tariq Anwar leading by 9,637 votes in the Manihari Assembly segment in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
(Ajay Jha)
